A city rich in history, but needy for the gospel.
Italy’s most global city.
Milan is the New York City of Italy. It is one of world’s leaders in fashion, design, education, biotechnology, commerce, finance, and entertainment. Its business district hosts Italy’s stock exchange (Borsa Italiana), and the headquarters of several national and international banks and companies. After London and Paris, it is the largest economy among EU cities.
Milan is also the world’s seventh most expensive city. With low wages, high unemployment, and astronomical taxes, most Milanese people live with a sense of anxiety and hopelessness. The city is rife with drugs, prostitution, and corruption.
These characteristics make Milan a spiritually dark place to live, but also provide a marvelous opportunity for making disciples of Jesus Christ. With 8.2 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, the city is host to almost no gospel witness.
A city with ancient Christian roots.
The need to rediscover the gospel.
Christianity has played a significant role in Milan’s history. Here are some interesting facts:
A church was planted here during the first century and survived under persecution for over 200 years.
In 313, while Milan was the capital of the Roman Empire, the Emperor Constantine signed the Edict of Milan, giving Christianity protection and legal status in the empire.
The first church building in the city was constructed in 314 (Santa Maria Maggiore)
Ambrose was bishop here from 374 to 397. He planted five churches in the city.
While Augustine lived here, he was mentored and baptized by Ambrose.
The cathedral in Milan (known as the Duomo) took nearly six centuries to build and is the largest church structure in Italy with a capacity of 40,000 people. During the sixteenth century, it became an icon for the Counter-Reformation.
Leonardo Da Vinci's famous mural painting "The Last Supper" is in a church (Santa Maria delle Grazie) in Milan.
During the sixteenth century, there was a small Reformed community in Milan and nearby Lake Como, which was subsequently eradicated by the Roman Inquisition.
Today, the Duomo is viewed more as an icon of the city of Milan than as a symbol of Chrisitanity. It functions more as a musuem than as a church. Throughout the year, throngs of tourists purchase tickets to enter and witness the beautiful architecture and views from the roof. But where is the gospel witness? Where is the clear and simple preaching of the Word? Where do people go to church on Sunday?
Although Christianity has ancient roots in the city of Milan, today it is little more than a dying cultural tradition.